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Optimal Bucking Hardwood Species In Central Appalachia, Jingang Liu
Optimal Bucking Hardwood Species In Central Appalachia, Jingang Liu
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
An optimal tree-stem bucking system was developed for central Appalachian hardwood species using 3D modeling techniques. ActiveX Data Objects were implemented via MS Visual C++/OpenGL to manipulate tree data which were supported by a backend relational data model with five data tables for stems, grades and prices, logs, defects and stem shapes. Network analysis was employed to achieve the optimal bucking solution with four different alternative stage intervals under bucking by value principle. Once all the data associated with a tree were retrieved, a 3-D tree stem could be displayed for either optimal or manual bucking based on the user's …
Sulfate Sorption Of Acidified Forest Soils In The Otter Creek Wilderness Area, Autumn Leah Bryson
Sulfate Sorption Of Acidified Forest Soils In The Otter Creek Wilderness Area, Autumn Leah Bryson
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Acid deposition has caused tremendous stress to forest ecosystems. Increased soil acidification due to acidic inputs from acid deposition may cause declines in forest productivity through the depletions of soil nutrients, increased mobility of aluminum and increases in acid anion concentrations, primarily nitrate and sulfate. The retention of sulfate in soil is a critical mechanism regulating soil acidification. Sulfate adsorption acts as a buffer delaying the elevation of solution sulfate concentrations. A soil will continue to adsorb sulfate until all the sites are filled and sulfate saturation is reached at which point leaching resumes. Therefore it is important to measure …
Establishing A Historic Benchmark For Rimrock Pine Communities At New River Gorge National River, West Virginia, Richard Stockton Maxwell
Establishing A Historic Benchmark For Rimrock Pine Communities At New River Gorge National River, West Virginia, Richard Stockton Maxwell
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The structure and composition of a rimrock pine community was studied in the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. A forest survey found that the overstory was dominated by Pinus virginiana, Nyssa sylvatica, Oxydendrum arboreum, Acer rubrum, and Quercus spp. The importance of Pinus virginiana decreased rapidly with increasing distance from the cliff edge and was replaced by hardwood competitors. Regeneration of Pinus virginiana (∼4,200 stems/ha) was deemed inadequate to sustain a pine forest except on the harshest sites near the cliff edge. A 108-year (1897-2005) fire chronology was constructed from 51 fire scars recorded by 23 pines along …
An Assessment Of Impacts Of Mute Swans (Cygnus Olor) On Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) In Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, Ketan Shrikant Tatu
An Assessment Of Impacts Of Mute Swans (Cygnus Olor) On Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) In Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, Ketan Shrikant Tatu
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) contribute to the localized decline in Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) through foraging in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. I assessed intensity of feeding activity of 868 Mute Swans in non-breeding flocks and breeding pairs through focal sampling during 2003 and 2004. I also assessed SAV reduction due to Mute Swan herbivory by measuring difference in percent cover, shoot density, and canopy height among 2 year controls (n = 54), 2 year exclosures (n = 54), and 1 year exclosures (n = 54) at 18 sites on the eastern shore during the same time period. Analyses of the …
Nesting Ecology, Chick Survival, And Juvenile Dispersal Of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa Umbellus) In The Appalachian Mountains, Brian W. Smith
Nesting Ecology, Chick Survival, And Juvenile Dispersal Of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa Umbellus) In The Appalachian Mountains, Brian W. Smith
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) populations have been declining throughout the Appalachian Mountains for several decades. From 1996--2002, state natural resources agencies in the region initiated the Appalachian Cooperative Grouse Research Project (ACGRP) to investigate potential factors limiting Ruffed Grouse populations. At the onset, nest success, nest predation, and brood survival were identified as potential limiting factors, and numerous other aspects of grouse ecology (e.g., dispersal) in the Appalachians were poorly understood. Therefore, I designed my ACGRP project to examine (1) nest predation and factors that influence nest success, (2) cause-specific mortality and survival rates for chicks 2--4 days posthatch to …
Effects Of Morrow's Honeysuckle Control And The Impact Of The Shrub On Invertebrates At Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, Jason Patrick Love
Effects Of Morrow's Honeysuckle Control And The Impact Of The Shrub On Invertebrates At Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, Jason Patrick Love
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle) dominates a degraded meadow at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. We tested four removal methods of Morrow's honeysuckle during spring and autumn 2004. Cut, stump application of 20% glyphosate, and mechanical removal in autumn were not successful (<47% reduction), while mechanical removal in spring and foliar application of 2% glyphosate were somewhat successful (>66% reduction). We used a modified leaf blower to sample invertebrates at our site. Invertebrate biomass was lowest within the native shrub, Viburnum recognitum (southern arrowwood) (p<0.05). Biomass of larval leaf chewers was highest in the native shrub. Invertebrate abundance, biomass, and richness were reduced under dense thickets of Morrow's honeysuckle (p<0.05), due to low amount of herbaceous cover beneath the shrubs. The amount of leaf area consumed by herbivores was 10 times more on the native shrub. Overall, our findings reveal that the exotic shrubs negatively impact invertebrate communities.
Summer Home Range, Habitat Use, Movements, And Activity Patterns Of River Otters (Lontra Canadensis) In The Killbuck Watershed, Northeastern Ohio, David A. Helon
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
River otters (Lontra canadensis), one of the most aquatic Mustelids, are important components of riparian systems and are an important fur-bearing species. Several studies evaluating post-release survival and movements have been conducted; however, there have been deficient long-term studies to determine the status of these river otter populations once established. During 2002 and 2003m 16 river otters (7 female, 9 male) were trapped and radio-tagged. Overall, mean female home range size was 802.4 ha and mean male home range size was 1,101.7 ha. Mean home range size was similar between genders in 2002, but was greater for males than females …
Cerulean Warbler Selection Of Forest Canopy Gaps, Kelly A. Perkins
Cerulean Warbler Selection Of Forest Canopy Gaps, Kelly A. Perkins
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Forest canopy gaps are through to be an important component in Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) habitat. This study examined the selection of forest canopy gaps within Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) territories and in core areas of territories on the Lewis Wetzel Wildlife Management Area and surrounding properties in Wetzel County, West Virginia in 2004 and 2005. The study objectives were to (1) determine the use and selection of gaps according to type, size, and structure, (2) determine if gap size was related to gap density, total gap area (%), or perimeter amount, and (3) determine if distances of territories to …
The Effects Of Residual Trees On Regeneration Dynamics Following A Diameter Limit Harvest, Travis J. Deluca
The Effects Of Residual Trees On Regeneration Dynamics Following A Diameter Limit Harvest, Travis J. Deluca
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Ten years after diameter-limit cutting, shading from residual trees had a negative effect on regeneration growth in three Appalachian hardwood stands. Regardless of shade tolerance, saplings growing outside the crown shading of residual overstory trees had higher densities and were taller and larger in diameter. Most shade-intolerant and mid-tolerant species decreased in total height and diameter as overstory basal area increased. Black cherry height (p<0.0001) and diameter (p=0.0002) had a significant negative relationship with increasing overstory basal area. Total height of shade-tolerant species was not affected and diameter showed a positive relationship. Red maple diameter had a significant positive relationship (p<0.0001) with increasing overstory basal area. Rehabilitation of stands after diameter-limit cutting requires silvicultural release operations to reduce competition in the new cohort.